Tim Cone is officially Gilas Pilipinas coach; 12-man core named

It’s official: Tim Cone will still handle the Gilas Pilipinas national team.

The confirmation was made by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on Monday.

Cone will handle the men’s basketball team starting in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in February and the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

“Coach Tim accomplished what has not been done in decades with only a few weeks to prepare and multiple challenges in terms of personnel so we’re excited to see what he can accomplish with a long-term program in place especially if such program is supported by all basketball stakeholders.” SBP President Al Panlilio said in a statement.

Part of Cone’s core team are Scottie Thompson, Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, CJ Perez, Jamie Malonzo, June Mar Fajardo, Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Carl Tamayo, Kai Sotto, and Kevin Quiambao. Justin Brownlee will take the naturalized player spot, pending FIBA’s decision regarding his eligibility.

Cone steered Gilas to the Asian Games gold medal last October.

This will be Cone’s fourth stint as the national head coach, as he handled the Centennial Team in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games and the Gilas squad in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA Integrated News